Fate Always Wins
by DeansLover1918
Summary: ((CSI: Cyber Fic)) Michelle was in love once. Well she never fell out of love. She left Elijah after being the "other woman" in his marriage and is back. Cyber needs her but does someone else still need her? MATURE CONTENT. [Elijah Mundo, OC Pairing]
1. Chapter 1

The Internet. Most people thought of it as a dream come true: full of research, facts, news, even pornography. Yet this bred a new kind of criminal. Cyber criminals. They are anonymous. No faces, no names, just usernames on the deep web that made their money on creating chaos; hacking people, posting information, leading to murders and the like. No matter what, they would find people to destroy and hurt. That's where the Cyber division of the FBI came in. Lead by Agent Avery Ryan, this team has risen to the top of all of the cyber crime units in the country.

That's where Michelle Carson made her career starting out. While she wasn't a huge hacker, she knew enough to be dangerous, especially with a psychology degree. People never thought of her as a low level hacker as soon as they saw her. Long, blonde hair, slim but fit figure, tight muscles all over her. Most people guessed she was a model when they tried to guess what she did for a living. So she met Crummy, Avery, their boss, and last…. Agent Elijah Mundo.

To say they hit it off was an understatement. He was married, with a new baby girl when they first met. Over the next few months, there was undeniable sexual tension between them, an intense attraction that she tried to fight. Finally one night everything changed. After a case, the team usually met up in the local bar for a drink before heading their separate ways. That had been the case that nearly done Michelle in. It involved a child and the child almost died. Thankfully the little girl was recuperating at a local hospital. Elijah noticed early on how many shots Michelle had done so he stayed with her while she let it all out.

Somehow they had gotten onto the subject of his marriage. Her vulnerable state mixed with the alcohol he had ingested ended up with him blabbing about how he and Devon were having major issues, even after his daughter Michelle was born. She didn't like that he was gone so much but instead of telling him that, he suspected she was just more comfortable with picking fights and that's how they spent most of their nights. About an hour later, he was pulling up outside of her own house. It wasn't until she nearly fell getting out of his vehicle that he helped walk her to her door. Once her door was open, she had leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and it ended with one hell of a kiss on the lips. It seemed to scorch both as she pulled back but he followed, shoving her into her house.

That was how the affair started. They had spent months just harmlessly flirting, well she thought it was playful banter that he returned. But once they slept together, she was a goner. It didn't take long for her to fall in love with Elijah Mundo. They would rendezvous whenever they could. It was like a break from Elijah's seemingly loveless marriage that was filled with nothing but fighting.

However, it soon became clear that he wasn't going to leave his wife. Michelle never asked it of him, for it was never her right, but she could tell he had been trying to save his marriage for his daughter's sake. She adored that little girl, had met her on multiple occasions. So when the time came that a reassignment option crossed her desk, she took it.

Elijah had begged her to stay, and as much as it killed her, Michelle couldn't. She hurt so much loving a man who would never be hers. That was her own fault, and she couldn't hold it against him. So she said goodbye and left him.

A vibration on her bedside table woke Michelle up and she groaned before seeing Avery's name on the call screen.

"I swear you need sleeping pills. You do know what time it is, don't you?" Michelle groaned as she sat up and ran a hand over her face.

"The man you're chasing on your case… He's in DC. I need you here." That woke Michelle up faster than anything else. "There's a jet waiting for you. Pack a few bags. Don't know how long you'll be here."

"I'll be at the airstrip in an hour." Michelle hung up the phone without saying goodbye before sprinting to the shower. She let her hair dry naturally as she threw outfits, shoes, and toiletries in three suitcases.

The flight was full of her reading case files, catching up on her old case notes so she could give a full brief when she got to the office.

This man prowled an internet dating site for people of the BDSM lifestyle. She had been after him for almost a year but every time she got close, he disappeared for a few weeks and surfaced somewhere else. To say she was angry and frustrated with this case and how it was going would be the understatement of the century.

An SUV was already waiting for her and took her straight to the office, the agent driving saying her things would be taken to the hotel room waiting for her.

She waited for the elevator and when it finally came, she was relieved she had it to herself, until she absently heard someone ask her to save it.

"Thanks...Michelle?" Her eyes shot up right into the eyes she had tried to forget for the past few years. The eyes that always turned her into a human puddle. The eyes that belonged to the one man that was her downfall. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh… I…" Michelle couldn't even speak as her chest constricted with anxiety almost painfully. "Avery called me. The case is mine that is assigned to you guys." An uneasy silence spread between the two as they waited for the elevator.

"Look…" Elijah began but Michelle held her hand up, taking a breath as her eyes closed. She bolted as soon as the doors to the elevator opened on the correct floor, not giving him a chance to say a word.

"Good, you're both here." Avery said as everyone else seemed to be yawning and still waking up. "Tell us more about this guy, Michelle."

"All right! All I know is he uses different usernames, different I.P. addresses, but his motive is the same. He has it bad against the BDSM lifestyle community." She rolled her eyes as she heard one of the guys snort. "Not funny. They are just like you and me, they just have different sexual preferences. But for some reason, he seeks out female dominants."

"Wait, you mean dominatrix?" Nelson asked, blinking a few times.

"That's one way of putting it though they are normally just called Domme's, with an E at the end. I've always thought he either has resentment because someone in the life hurt him, or one of his family members, sister, daughter, son, are in the life and somehow got hurt or he believes they are being hurt. Either way, he stalks them on this website and will kill the ones that respond to him."

"I've tried back tracking his I.P. address via his messages with the two victims but he keeps bouncing them around and I can't get a lock on it." Crummy said as he pulled up the screen to show her and Michelle sighed.

"I tried that too. Same thing. Let's just say, if he's here, he won't kill only one. He loves taunting the FBI." Michelle ran a hand through her hair before turning to Avery. "We have only one way to track him down. He has a type."

"No. Not happening. We don't know if he knows your identity with the FBI! He could know you're chasing him and we could lose him or worse… You could be in danger." Avery argued, knowing exactly what Michelle was saying.

"What are you talking about?" Elijah said as he leaned against one of the desks, arms crossing over his chest.

"He has a type and he likes the Domme's to be tall, thin and blonde. Like… me. And the only way to ensure we can find him is to make a profile stating me as a Domme and putting up some sexually provocative photos. That is how he finds them." Michelle said, not even bothering to look at Elijah. Crummy and Nelson looked between each other then to Raven, who only shrugged. Seemed the tension was felt by everyone.

"Not happening. No. Avery is right, it's too dangerous." Elijah said, his voice angry and stern and that got Michelle to turn around, fire in her eyes.

"Do you have a better idea? Because he is famous for disappearing. Look, I don't give a shit how you or anyone else feels about me being involved, or if you even care. All I know is, this is the only way and you know it."

"Okay!" Avery said, stepping between the two before anything else could be accidentally revealed. "As much as I hate to admit it, Elijah, she's right."

"I'm confused. How do you know this is how he will be found?" Crummy asked, raising his hand. "We can't trace his I.P. address." Michelle took a deep breath before explaining.

"He wants a meet, face to face. I've watched this happen for over a year, countless murder victims. He stalks them, talks to them, gains their trust. He poses as a submissive. Just trust me! This is the only way. Do you have a computer I can use? Not connected to the FBI network?" Nelson pointed and she left.

"Wait!" Elijah followed her right into the office and shut the door. "You're desperate and you are overlooking something, you are putting yourself at risk."

"Like you care." Michelle shot back, full well knowing that was not a fair statement. "Sorry. I'm just tired and on edge. This is the closest I've been able to get to him. I've asked my other supervisors but they all said no and he ended up disappearing. I have to do this, Elijah."

"Just, slow down. Do you know what you sound like right now?" He asked as he took a step forward. "You have been gone for years then you just waltz in, barely give us any information and then demand you put yourself right in his path. What are you playing at?"

"I'm trying to catch a killer before he kills someone else!" She said, unable to look at Elijah.

"No, that's not it. You're moving too fast. You don't want to be here, do you?" He accused more than asked. How he could still know her so well, she didn't know. "Because of me?"

"Yes, okay! Because of you!" Michelle exploded as old emotions started bubbling up, typing as fast as she could before looking up at Elijah. "I don't want to be here because it reminds me that I wasn't good enough. I fell in love with someone who couldn't and wouldn't love me back. Remind me that I failed myself by making myself the other woman. A home wrecker. That's not your fault, but I can't be near you. I just can't." She stood and made her way towards the door.

"Where are you going? This talk isn't finished." Elijah said as he followed right after her.

"Yes it is. We're done, Elijah." Michelle said as she looked down at everyone. "Raven! I need outfits. Leather pants, red corset, six inch heel boots. Not to mention a cane, a flogger. Oh, and dark makeup. Where do I get it?"

The young hacker looked up at her and quirked a brow. "Why would I know? I can give you the leather pants, boots, and makeup. The rest… We might be able to get FBI money and go out and get."

"I know the place." Michelle said before looking at everyone. "What? I've done extensive research. I'm not actually into this. Time is running out and I need pictures. Come on. Who is going with me?"

Avery stepped forward as well as Elijah, causing Michelle to roll her eyes. "You too, Raven. I need those outfits."

"Where are you going to get the corset?" Raven asked and Michelle took a deep breath.

"From my house. My parents' house. This is gonna be awkward." She said as she ran a hand through her hair.

Thankfully her parents seemed to be out of town on vacation so she got in and out of the house pretty easily without incident. The corset was one she bought right before she started working with Avery just to piss her parents off. They hated anything overly sexual and when she left town, she left it in a box of things that she had shared with Elijah.

"Got everything?" Avery asked as they walked back into the office with the bags and Michelle made her way into the bathroom with a nod.

"I don't like this…" Elijah said to Avery as he watched Michelle disappear with Raven in the bathroom.

"I know, Elijah. But remember, you're not together. What happened is in the past. All we can do is make sure we get this guy and nothing happens to her." Avery said as she put a hand on Elijah's shoulder before walking away. Time to play the waiting game.

An hour later, Michelle stepped out a completely different person. The leather pants were a second skin underneath the thigh high, six inch tall boots. The corset pushed her smaller breasts up and out while accentuating her tiny waist. Her hair was back yet still down. Braids were loose on either side that ended right at the crown of her head, her wavy hair flowing down her back in waves. Her eyes were rimmed in black eyeliner with a dark black, smoky eye effect with the eyeshadow. Red lipstick completed the look. She was every bit as fierce as she wanted to be as everyone gawked at her, Elijah included.

"What? We have pictures to take. Let's go." Everyone eagerly followed behind her as they went down to the workout room.

Elijah's eyes never left her as they took photo after photo, with her holding the floggers and canes in her hands, between her teeth. They took action shots of her making the flogging motion. It had been so shocking to see her in the elevator and not a few hours later seeing her like this. He couldn't even wrap his mind around anything that was going on.

"All right. Let's get these uploaded and we will hopefully hear from him by morning." Avery said as Nelson and Crummy went to go make Michelle's profile live. The blonde in charge walked over to Elijah as he watched Michelle put everything away. "Talk to her. The only way you're going to be able to work together is if you get everything in the open."

"I don't remember asking for this therapy session." Elijah teased, meaning he wasn't comfortable talking about the subject. They had many talks after Michelle had left and she did know about their affair.

As he drove Michelle to her hotel, there was an awkward silence. She was back in her regular clothes though her hair and makeup were still done.

They ended up just sitting in the truck for a few minutes before either spoke, and go figure it was at the same time…

"Look, Elijah, about what I said…"

"I'm sorry, Michelle.."

They both looked at each other and laughed a bit at their shared nerves but she motioned for him to go first.

"I'm sorry. While I don't regret what happened between us, it shouldn't have happened like that. You were right, I put you in a horrible position because I just wanted a break from my marriage. That is no excuse. I never, ever, wanted you to feel that way about yourself." Michelle's eyes softened as a soft smile turned up the corners of her lips.

"I shouldn't have blurted that out that way, though. Those were feelings I brought on myself, Elijah. I knew you're married. I knew it. So to put that on you wasn't fair." She reached over to put her hand over his and her eyes widened as they landed on his left hand. "Where is your wedding ring, Elijah?"

"I uh… I'm not married anymore. Haven't been for a little bit now." Elijah admitted before looking right into her eyes. "I tried to make things work but I couldn't. We just aren't right for each other."

"I'm so sorry… I know you wanted it to work for Michelle." The blonde stated as sorrow filled her eyes at how much that failure had to have hurt him.

"No need to be. You can't force things to work. They either do or they don't. We just didn't. I still see Michelle. It's getting worked out." His eyes searched hers as a few beats of silence moved between them. "Are we good?" Michelle gave him a nod with a warm smile.

"Yeah, Elijah. We're good. It'll take me a bit to get used to this and comfortable with it but I've never had any ill feelings towards you. I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" She hopped out of the truck and went inside the hotel, leaving Elijah to drive home with his thoughts.

"What have we got?" MIchelle asked a few hours later as she walked into the office, refreshed and cleaned up with a good nap under her belt.

"Well, you were right. As of an hour ago, there are a ton of people who want to friend you. But only one stood out. Look familiar?" Crummy as as he put up a long message Michelle had seen plenty of times before.

 _Hello, Michie, or should I call you Mistress?_

 _I was deeply moved by your photos, so much so it has brought me out of my normal antisocial lurking behavior to contact you. I am a natural submissive who believes I can learn great things from you. If you wish to interact, feel free to reply to this message._

 _I look forward to interacting with you._

 _~Der_

Michelle's face hardened as she read that same introductory message she had read with each and every victim he claimed.

"That's him alright. Accept his friend request." Crummy gave her a nod once he had and she smirked. "Like a moth to the flame he is." She turned around as she saw Avery walking in. "He took the bait. I was just about to reply to his message."

"Go ahead. Let's see what you've got." Avery motioned Michelle to continue.

"Okay, Crummy. Here's what I want you to type, and try not to blush…" She said with a light giggle at the man's face before turning to see Elijah walking up. Oh this was about to get awkward…

 _Der,_

 _I am intrigued by your profile. You say you are a sub but your profile seems to have some dominant features to it. I would personally love to punish those features out of you, if you so wish. There is a lot you have to learn and a lot I want to teach. But that is nothing a flogger or a can could not take care of in a few sessions with me._

 _~Michie, but you may call me Mistress_

When Michelle looked over to Crummy, she couldn't help but bust out laughing at the redness of his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would make you uncomfortable. I can handle all messages from now on, okay?" She walked over and kissed him on the cheek before moving to Avery. "What do you think?"

"That was great. He wants to play to a Domme's desires and you acted as if you took the bait. After he replies, we can set up a meet unless that is too soon…" Avery asked, looking to Michelle for more information on this topic.

"No, he likes meeting quickly so once he replies… Well that was fast." She said as she saw the red number 1 appear on top of the envelope in the top right corner of the screen.

 _Mistress,_

 _I do not know what it is about you, but I feel the call. I feel as if you were meant to be my mistress, to teach me and punish me in ways no one else can. I would very much like to meet and discuss paperwork if it pleases you._

 _~Der_

"That's what I wanted to see." Michelle said as she gently rolled Crummy's chair out of the way.

"What does he mean by paperwork?" Elijah asked and Michelle looked up to meet his eyes as she answered.

"It's like a contract. Dom and Submissive go over what the submissive is okay with doing sexually, what they would be open to in the future, and their hard limits; the things they will never do and will never be okay with. It's a written record so that if limits are crossed, established safe words are used. It's for the safety of the sub." Elijah's eyes widened at how much Michelle knew. "Okay, I'm going to need to know if there is any club near here with clientele from the BDSM lifestyle. Nelson, can you find that?"

"On it." The dark skinned man shouted out as his fingers ran quickly over the keyboard. "Got one! It's called The Red Room." He said as he brought up the page. "It's supposed to be one of the most well known in this area, highest reviews, no bad comments… This might be what you want."

"It's exactly what I want, thank you." Michelle said as her own fingers moved over Crummy's keyboard.

 _Der,_

 _I look forward to this meeting for I, too, feel this calling. There is much for you to learn, my pet. Meet me at The Red Room tomorrow night at eleven PM sharp. I do not tolerate tardiness and there will be consequences for showing up late. I shall have paperwork in hand._

 _~Mistress_

Once that was sent, she leaned back in her chair and let out a deep sigh of relief. So he hadn't gone underground for very long this time. That was both good and bad.

"All right. We have until tomorrow night to get ready to take this guy down." Avery said as she walked over to Michelle. "Great work. Now, how is this going to happen?"

"Well, we need to first have a few agents in the room with us so in case he tries to run, he can't escape." Michelle gave a nod before running a hand through her hair. "However, I will need to be completely alone with him so he feels the power. Not for very long…" She interjected as soon as she saw Elijah open his mouth to argue. "You'll be in the next room. I just need him to feel powerful enough to try and take me so we can get this son of a bitch. He will have trophies and if we catch him, he can lead us to them."

"Fine. But I don't like this plan." Elijah shook his head and Michelle shrugged.

"You don't have to. But that's how it has to happen." She shot back as she stood up from her desk and stretched. "I'm gonna go catch up on some sleep then I'll see you guys later."

"You don't want to get some lunch with us?" Crummy asked with an almost pout that Michelle couldn't even try to resist.

"All right. Lunch then I'll sleep. Where are we going?" She asked as she grabbed her light jacket and pulled it on.

"There's an awesome diner a few blocks away. We can walk if you want."

"Okay. You got it, Crummy. Let's feed the growing boys." Michelle winked at Raven who could only laugh as they all piled into the elevator.

 _The sound of ripping fabric was echoing in the room as Michelle tried to catch the breath that the fire igniting within her body was continually taking away. His smell was nothing short of masculine as his lips claimed hers possessively. As the heat slowly moved lower into her nether regions, she didn't think she could take anymore as her hands went to the belt of his suit pants._

 _Lips crashed, teeth bit, breath mingled and tongues wrestled until they were both falling back onto her bed. Her nails raked against the skin of his back as his hips surged towards hers, seeking refuge between her thighs that were still clothed._

" _Off. I want it all off." Michelle panted as her eyes met his, which were shining with an equal amount of lust she was sure her own eyes showed. He seemed to understand as he quietly and without a word slid her yoga pants and lace panties down her legs in one swoop. It wasn't in her not to help so Michelle found herself grabbing for the buckle of his pants again, managing to get it undone this time so he could push his suit pants down to the floor._

 _Once they were both naked, his muscled and powerful body lay on top of hers, stifling her into a heated frenzy as her legs immediately wrapped around his narrow waist._

" _Elijah…" She muttered as she felt his length enter her, his eyes seeking hers._

" _I love you, Michelle…"_

Michelle shot up in bed, covered in sweat and panting for breath as she tried to get rid of the images her dream had brought up. That was her most cherished memory yet the one that haunted her as well. He told her he loved her that night yet when Devon showed up the next day at the office, he was after her like a lost puppy. It wasn't his fault. I mean, she had put herself in that position anyway.

So why was she dreaming about this now after getting rid of the dreams over a year ago? It was working beside him again that was doing it. Not only that but knowing he was no longer with Devon. There were possibilities and it seemed her subconscious knew it. With a brush of her hand over her face, she made her way out of bed and into the bathroom.

The shower was cold and she didn't care as she tried to banish unwanted emotions that continually tried bubbling to the surface. Her and Elijah had just gotten to a good place. They were okay with not being together, or at least she thought SHE was. What if that was what the dream meant? 

"Damn you, Elijah Mundo…" She muttered knowing it wasn't his fault but she had to have someone to blame. Once the shivers took over, she washed her hair and body quickly and got out, wrapping a soft and thick towel around her body before staring at herself in the mirror.

"What is wrong with you, Michelle? Did you not learn your lesson last time?" She asked out loud, half expecting the answer to just pop out of thin air; which it didn't, of course. With a frustrated groan, she made her way to her bag and pulled out her clothes for the day. She wouldn't be going into the office until later to brief the agents that will be in the room so she had a few hours to kill. Time to reacquaint herself with the city.

Her first stop was to her favorite diner for a To-Go ice cream cone. As she ran her tongue over the chocolate scoop, holding napkins around the cone to stop the melting part from getting all over her, she looked up as she entered the park to see Elijah standing there.

"I swear if you had one of those lovable nerds track my cell phone, I'm going to kill you." She said, trying not to blush as the memory of her dream came rushing to the surface.

"Don't blame them. I can be intimidating when I want to be." He cracked as a smirk turned up the corners of his mouth, causing Michelle to shake her head.

"So is there a reason you're stalking me or… what?" She prompted as she started walking on one of the paths in the park, enjoying her ice cream as she waited for him to answer. He was quiet at first, just walking alongside her as he gathered his thoughts.

He didn't even know where to begin. Ever since they had that talk in his truck, Elijah just couldn't stop going through their history in his head. Where he had gone wrong and what had left them both hurting when she left. So finally, he just blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

"Devon knows…" He said as he glanced over to see the uncertainty in Michelle's eyes. "She knows about the affair I… we had. I told her months back… When I filed for divorce."

"Why tell her?" Michelle asked, trying to understand. If Devon knew, there would definitely be some animosity coming from her to Michelle if they ever saw each other again.

"Because it suddenly became clear to me why things weren't working." Elijah said with a deep breath. "I wasn't in love with her anymore. I hadn't been in love with her since before Michelle was born. It was one of those 'going through the motions' things that got out of control."

It took a second for Michelle to get herself settled emotionally. She couldn't get her hopes up, wouldn't allow for that to happen again. It was only ever met with disappointment. Instead, she stamped those feelings down before she bit into the cone.

"Do I even want to know what she said when she knew it was me?" She asked with a sheepish look and Elijah couldn't help but chuckle.

"You really don't want me to repeat the words used, though most were aimed at me. It wasn't a pretty divorce, and even today we still fight over custody. But we are trying to be nice for Michelle's benefit. And most of the time it works." His shoulders gave a shrug as he looked over to Michelle, a bit disconcerted that he couldn't read her face as she looked down at the ground, munching on her ice cream cone.

"You said… You said you weren't in love with her. What are you trying to say Elijah?" Michelle said before realization struck her and she stepped away from him before he could respond. "No. No! This … It's not happening." Her voice shook as her eyes showed every bit of emotion she was feeling. "You don't get to waltz back into my life like nothing happened! You don't get to do this to me!" A lone tear fell down her cheek and as he reached for it, she recoiled. Well, didn't that just feel like a slap to the face to him? "I admit it was my fault but I fell in love with you. I loved you! And I left because I would never give you an ultimatum. I couldn't. You loved your family and I couldn't bear splitting it up. And I did! I still did!" The tears fell faster as she threw away the ice cream cone and faced Elijah. "Once this case is over, I'm gone. I'm not coming back to Cyber. I can't… I just…" There were no more words as Michelle took off through the park.

"Michelle!" Elijah tried shouting after the blonde woman but it was no use. She was gone. "Damnit…" He muttered. That wasn't the way he saw this being planned out. Because the truth was, he had loved her then and he was still in love with her. He was so sorry he hurt Devon the way he did but he couldn't change the way he felt. And it killed him inside to hear her side because she was right. He had put it all on her and he hadn't meant to. He never wanted that. After this case, she was gone again and there was nothing he could do about it. Seems fate was a fickle bitch after all.

Michelle lost track of how long she had been crying before she pulled herself back together. She had a job to do. She could fall apart after they caught this son of a bitch. Right now, her number one priority was the case. The case she needed to finish. A year's worth of her life would not be wasted after tonight, hopefully.

She walked into the office in sweatpants and a camisole. Her hair was up in curlers and she just had foundation and powder on when she walked in. She found herself among the agents who were going to be inside the club. Avery had already contacted the owner of the club and he agreed, albeit reluctantly, to allow them access. While he didn't want law enforcement inside his club, he also didn't want a killer there either.

"Okay, I hope you all are going to change. You all look like law enforcement which will set this guy off. I'm talking jeans, skirts. You don't have to wear what I am because mine is a costume, a persona. But you can't even resemble a cop. Or else he will bolt. Blend in, mingle with the people. Don't outright look at him. If you have to, just make it look like curious glances. Same goes for me. Nothing more than curious glances."

Once all the parameters were set, Michelle went back to the hotel to fully change, letting them know she would meet them there. The night before, she couldn't sleep so she went ahead and drafted up a "contract" to keep in character for this bastard to look over and sign. Once it was printed, she finished her hair and quickly changed.

Time to nail this bastard to his own coffin.

Elijah was nervous as he gazed over the crowd, his straight bourbon coming up to his lips every now and then for a sip. He had to be careful, though, because he had to still be alert. His gun was hidden on his side, on the inside of his pants in a special holster. His black blazer covered it up as he sat on the stool. There were a lot of people here, but the thing that got him the most was the different kind of dress. Some of the women wore collars, some with leashes attached. Men even wore them as women led them around the room. This was definitely different.

Somehow he knew the second Michelle walked in and subconsciously his body turned to seek her out. Holy. Shit. His jaw literally dropped as she walked in.

Those same leather pants from last night gripped her muscular legs like a second skin. Her hair was down and somewhat in her face as she walked past him, not even giving him a second glace. The smoky eyed look was back but this time she had on black lipstick. Her top couldn't even be considered a shirt or a corset. It looked like a leather sports bra, leaving her abdomen bare. As his eyes dipped lower, he had to stifle a groan at the curve of her ass accentuated by the six inch stiletto heels she wore as she approached an empty table and sat down, placing paper down in front of her. Must be the contract.

Michelle took a deep breath as she chanced a glance over to the one person she should not be paying attention to. He was devastatingly handsome in the suit he wore, though this one was different from his usual work ones. This shirt was a bit tighter, the blazer complimenting his male figure as he stood up and buttoned it right in her line of sight. As she looked away, she saw a man walking towards her with a predatory stance. This was him. This was her mark.

"Mistress," his voice purred as he bowed before her when she stood to greet him.

"Der, so wonderful to meet you. Sit." She commanded and he did just that. A playful smirk crossed her features even though all she wanted to do was shoot the man. "Do you want a drink? Or shall we go somewhere more… Private to discuss these things?" Her perfectly manicured nail bounced against the paper right in front of her and she saw where his eyes went. Yes, she had him right where she wanted him.

"Whatever pleases you, mistress," He said with a bow of his head but even she saw the evil glint in his eyes as he tried to avoid her gaze. Bring it you sick son of a bitch, she thought as she stood and beckoned him forward. What he didn't know was she wasn't wearing a wire but she had an earpiece in her inner ear that allowed everyone to hear everything that was said. Crummy and Nelson were also recording everything as well in a van out back.

As she finally found an empty room near the back, she led him inside and shut the door. Alarm bells went off as soon as she shut it right before she was slammed up against it.

"You didn't think I wouldn't know who you are, Agent Carson?" His voice hissed in her ear as he turned her around and pressed his arm against her throat to cut off her air supply. "You've been hunting me for over a year and I think it's about time I put an end to that, don't you? Too bad, that FBI Agent is going to really miss you. What's his name?"

"Oh please, he won't miss me. We were over a long time ago. Which you would know if you did any research. That and my background training." She said right before she kicked him in the side. She heard screams outside the room and knew the cavalry was on its way. She just needed to keep him distracted long enough so he couldn't escape. "So why kill these women? Can't get off any other way?"

"They stole my daughter from me and hurt her all the time. The bruises on my daughter's thighs are atrocious!" He roared as he grabbed her and threw her into the opposite wall, causing her to lose her breath as she landed on the floor, writhing onto her back.

"If she is a submissive, she wanted that, you dumbass! There is nothing wrong with that lifestyle. Her Domme did nothing she didn't want her to." Goading him was definitely distracting him but his anger was starting to reach scary proportions as he grabbed her by the throat and held her against the wall just as Elijah came busting through the door, gun raised.

"Don't move! FBI." Just as the man turned at Elijah's command, Michelle brought her fist up and right into his cheek, sending him to the floor.

"Get him out of here!" She said as she took a few deep breaths. Elijah tried to reach for her but she just moved out of the way. "Don't…" She said as she walked out without glancing at him. She needed out of here.

"Hey, what's going on?" Avery asked Michelle who simply shook her head and headed outside where the bastard was being put into a police car. Avery turned to Elijah and shook her head. "Are you going to let things end there?"

"She's gone either way, Avery. Nothing I can do about it." Elijah shot back as he replaced his gun in the holster on his side, his badge already around his neck and hanging on his chest.

"I don't think that's true. Either of those things. Stop being scared Elijah." He scoffed and she got right in his line of vision. "Let me ask you something, can you honestly live with yourself if you let her leave with these awful feelings? Can you live with yourself if you aren't completely honest with her?" That was all his boss had to say before walking out behind Michelle. Shit. Why did she always have to be right?

Michelle sat on the hotel bed, having washed her face and pulled her hair up into a clip on the back of her head. The debriefing didn't take long. Turns out the man's name was Walter Krank and he did have a daughter who was in the life. It looked daddy couldn't believe she was a lesbian or submissive to anyone.

As she got up to put the rest of her things in the bags she brought with her, a knock rang out on the front door, causing her to freeze. Who the hell could that be? She walked over and opened the door. She was about to shut it when Elijah pushed his way into the room.

"No, you don't get to shut me out. Not this time." He said as he turned to face her. "Don't leave." Those last two words had Michelle crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive and protective maneuver.

"Why not? Why should I stay, Elijah? So I can be reminded of everything that happened? Everything I can't have? Everything I caused?" She asked, definitely not okay with this conversation or where it was leading.

"Because I love you and don't want you to go." He said matter of factly and she just shook her head.

"I can't go back there, Elijah. I can't do this again." Her chest started heaving as if she had issues breathing as her eyes looked everywhere but at him. He moved quicker than she thought possible, his hands framing her cheeks and gently forcing her to look up at him.

"You didn't cause anything, I did. I am the one who filed for divorce and it wasn't because of our affair. It was because I just couldn't love Devon like I used to when we first married and before Michelle. We let our lives take hold and didn't make the necessary adjustments. Instead of talking we fought and lost what we had along the way. You were in no way responsible for that." His thumb traced her cheek and he saw she was still resisting but he was winning the fight to keep her here.

"Elijah.. I…" She said but he cut her off with his lips against hers before backing up a bit.

"And yes, I would miss you, for the record. I did every damn day and I kicked myself every day for letting you leave." With those words, her fight was over. The tears freely fell as their lips crashed together, arms wrapping around each other to crush their bodies together. Michelle was tired of fighting what felt so right. She just hoped this time…

She wouldn't be broken. She wouldn't survive it a second time.


	2. Chapter 2

Michelle's head was absolutely splitting as she finally was able to crack an eye open. All the lights seemed brighter than normal, causing her to shut them again. As she finally acclimated, she looked around to see a room to get her bearings. As she tried to move her arms, she realized they were tied behind her with zip ties and her ankles were bound to the chair she was sitting on. The left side of her head throbbed and she swore it felt sticky which meant she had been bleeding.

There was nothing else in the room as she turned her head from side to side. This wasn't good at all. She tried to remember what happened but all she remembered was leaving Elijah's house so he could go pick his daughter up. Then it went black until she woke up just a few seconds ago.

She started struggling against the ties as she saw the glass a few feet in front of her with someone standing behind it. The bright light, however, kept her from being able to see their face, though she could tell it was a man by his stature and build.

"Where am I?" She said as she tried to get free. His laugh sent chills down her spine and her gut screamed even louder. Something was seriously wrong. "NO!" She shouted as he started walking away towards another door. "Let me go!"

"LET ME GO!"

((4 Hours Before))

Plates of food sat untouched on the kitchen table as moans were heard throughout Elijah's place. He had Michelle backed against the counter, lips against hers, as they practically clawed at each other. Reaching around, he grabbed her ass and effortlessly lifted her to sit on the counter as her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.

"You know…" Michelle said between kisses with a smile. "I think we should probably eat. Don't want to starve…"

"But I am starving," Elijah replied as his hands moved up her denim covered thighs causing Michelle to laugh before pushing him back.

"I'm serious. I am actually freaking hungry. And it's all your fault." Michelle shoved him back with a laugh before hopping off the counter and moving over to the table.

"How is it my fault? You're the one who instigates it."

"How so? I'm not the one grabbing my ass all the time, risking our jobs over it too!"

The playful fight had been the same for them since they started staying at each other's places. Michelle had moved back to the city and got her own place. She decided staying with Cyber was where she wanted to be. But not just because of Elijah. She loved her job and she adored the team. The only nights she had spent alone were those where he had his daughter and she would never interrupt that.

As they finally settled down to eat, Michelle couldn't stop that little nagging voice in the back of her head. It had been speaking to her since her and Elijah had started up their fun times again.

"Elijah… Where is this going?" She asked as she took a bite of spaghetti. His brow quirked as he looked a bit confused. "I mean… Sure we have tons of amazing sex and eat every now and then but… Is that all we are again? Or is this going somewhere?" Michelle suddenly felt self conscious for bringing it up and looked down at the table but Elijah wasn't letting that happen as he reached across to put his hand on top of hers.

"Hey… Where is this coming from?" He asked as he sought her eyes.

"It's just… Don't get me wrong this has been fun but… I don't want just another affair, Elijah. I can't go there again. You know that. I kinda wanna know if that's all we are or if there's more here."

Before Elijah could answer her, his phone rang. As he sighed and went to answer it, he saw Devon's name on the caller ID. Michelle could only sigh knowing something was up and that meant the end of this conversation. As she grabbed her keys, he hung up the phone and turned to her with an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry. Michie had a bad day at school and apparently wants to come over here." He said as he walked over, not liking the way the blonde in front of him crossed her arms over her chest. She did that when she was trying to hide, not wanting to get hurt again and he could kick himself for this bad timing.

"It's okay. I have some stuff I still have to unpack. I'm being slow with it." She said with an overly casual wave before walking to the front door to let herself out. Before she could leave the porch, however, she felt him turn her around and his lips were on hers.

"We aren't done with this conversation. But you need to know, you were /never/ just an affair to me." Her eyes shined with hope as she gave a silent nod before walking towards her car and he to his truck.

The drive back to her apartment was short lived but it felt long as hell as she pondered the small and cut short conversation. She was hardly paying attention as she tried to look through her purse for her apartment keys as she walked across the dark parking lot, making a mental note to see if the complex would change that light bulb for safety reasons.

She was only halfway across the parking lot when pain exploded on the left side of her head, her world going black.

Michelle had almost ruined her voice as she screamed to be let out for God knew how long. Tears streamed down her face as she came to the realization that she had been kidnapped. But by whom? And what did they want? She tried to calm herself as tears streamed down her face. The lights had turned off what felt like hours ago and she had been left in total darkness.

She didn't know if her captor knew about her fears, and that when the lights went out, her claustrophobia set in. It was as if she could feel the room getting smaller and smaller, threatening to squeeze the life out of her as she struggled to breathe.

As the lights suddenly came back on, she had to close her eyes for a few seconds before they would adjust. Her head whirled around as she heard the door open on the other side of the glass. She tried to get free as he walked inside, locking the door.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked and when she was met with silence, she tried again. "What do you want?" Still no answer as the man moved to set up a camera and when he turned around, she recoiled from the clown mask he wore. The one with an evil, sadistic grin. Yes, another fear of hers. What was this asshole playing at? "Answer me!"

"You really don't remember?" He asked as a deep breath crawled from under the mask as he walked over to the camera and turned it on. "Let's see if any of this reminds you."

"What are you talking about, you psycho?" Michelle screamed as she fought against her restraints. The pain was swift as his fist landed on the left side of her face. A cry left her lips as she saw stars from the force of the blow, spitting blood from where her lip split.

"Name calling isn't very nice, Michelle. But then again, you always did have a nasty mouth. Let's change that." The man cracked his knuckles as Michelle turned to look at the camera. "Who is he?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Michelle asked and was rewarded with another punch to the face, crying out again as tears squeezed out of her eyes at the pain.

"The cop, you whore! The Cop! Who the fuck is he?" The man was screaming now and Michelle knew she hit a nerve. "What makes you think he can touch you when you belong to someone else?"

Then Michelle's eyes widened as realization hit her. There was only one person who would ever react that way to her touching another man. Her mouth parted with a sharp intake of breath as she said the name.

"Timothy…"

"No! You are so wrong. Green Arrow could TOTALLY take Daredevil!" Crummy shouted back to Raven as they went back and forth, Nelson just shaking his head. They didn't currently have a case going so they were all just blowing off steam in the office while Avery was in a meeting.

"Oh please! Daredevil has highly heightened senses. Green Arrow wouldn't stand a chance." Raven scoffed and threw a paperball at Crummy.

"Not if Green Arrow shot an arrow with a supersonic sound that rendered Daredevil incapacitated. BOOM! I win." They all busted out laughing as a message popped up on their screen. "What's this?"

"That shouldn't have come through our system…" Nelson said as he opened the file and they all stopped dead. "Avery!" He jumped out of his chair and sprinted to her office, barging in. "You have to see this!"

Everyone in the office came running out and Avery's face fell and she uttered two words she wished she never would have to say again.

"Call Elijah…"

Elijah was kicking himself as he sat in his living room. He should have had that conversation but Devon called and he jumped like normal. GOd damnit, what had he done? The message that sent to Michelle was probably not a good one. Michie was up in her room sleeping as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Agent Mundo…" He said as he pressed the rectangle iPhone to his ear. Within seconds he was hanging up the phone and calling his dad. "I gotta go to work. Can you be here in five minutes?" His father heard how frantic he was and said he would make it in two.

Sure enough, Elijah had just grabbed his gun out of his home safe when his doorbell rang. He sprinted to the door and hugged his father.

"Michie is asleep. I just… I have to go." Elijah couldn't even think as his breathing became erratic.

"Go, son. I've got this." His father was always serious when it came to his job and Elijah was more than grateful for it as he took off to his truck, tires squealing as he slammed on the gas and barrelled down the road.

He exploded out of the elevator and sprinted over to where everyone was staring at the screens. As he looked up, his heart fell straight to the floor. It was Michelle on the screen. She was tied up and bleeding from multiple contusions to her face, from what looked like hard punches.

"What is this? What happened?" Elijah asked Avery before turning to the three hackers in the room.

"This just popped up while we were waiting for Avery to get out of a meeting. I'm trying to hack it but it keeps bouncing from multiple servers. It's gonna take some time to narrow it down." Crummy said, his hands working frantically over the keyboard.

"Narrow it down! I want to know who has her." Elijah sounded frantic as he ran a hand through his hair and made his way to his office. "Fuck!" He shouted as he kicked a chair right as Avery walked into the room.

"What's going on, Elijah?" She asked softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I thought things were going great again but… Somehow I made her think this was just another affair. She's pulling away and it's my fault and now this…" He said and Avery could see how tortured he was.

"Elijah, it's natural for her to feel that way after what happened last time. It's nothing you or she did. It's just her fears rearing their heads. It happens to all of us. We'll find her and you can make it all right. Okay?" He tried to break eye contact but she wouldn't allow it until he finally gave a nod of his head before making his way out to the bullpen.

Right in time for her to utter that name.

"Right! I want to know everything about any Timothy she could have come into contact with the past few years since she left. Let me know when you have something." He said before going to the elevator, Avery hot on his tail.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she got between the doors right before they shut.

"That behavior is his normal when he feels possessive. It means she probably held out a restraining order against him. His name will pop up. I just have to make a few calls." Elijah said and Avery smiled, impressed at him.

"See? I told you we would get this. Let's go. You aren't going alone. Let's knock on some doors." She said just as the doors fully shut.

"Oh so /now/ you remember?" His voice was a snarl as he ripped off the clown mask, careful to keep his back to the camera so only she could see that sadistic face. "How dare you think you can touch another man when you are mine."

"We are not together! Did you not get the hint when I took the restraining order out against you?" She said as she spat in his face, which was the wrong move.

He backed off and pulled the mask back on before pulling a knife out of his pocket before turning to the camera.

"You took her away from me, Mundo. And I will not stand for it. She is mine. And you're both about to see that." Michelle felt herself tense as he brought the knife up to her arm and made a cut, causing her to cry out as blood rolled down her arm.

"It's not his fault! You've got it all wrong!" She screamed, just wanting this to end.

"And how do I have it wrong, kitten?" His voice purred at her old nickname he used when they were dating and Michelle felt her skin crawl before speaking.

"I'm nothing but an affair to him. That's it. He just went through a divorce so it's like rebound. I don't belong to him." Most of that was true anyways so at least she wasn't lying to him which would only piss him off. She chanced a glance at the camera, hoping Elijah didn't just hear her say that.

What she didn't expect was another slice to be carved, this one in her chest right above her heart which caused her to scream out in pain as she felt the blood run down her porcelain skin.

"You mean you actually lowered yourself to that whore level? How dare you taint yourself, you stupid bitch!" The back of his hand landed on her right cheek this time and she knew she would be bruised as shit but she just had to endure this. She couldn't let herself die here.

"I'm sorry!" She screamed as sobs escaped her, making the cut on her chest burn as sweat dripped into the wound. God, would the pain ever end?

Everyone's jaw dropped when they heard that confession from Michelle right as Elijah was walking back in with the paperwork he needed with the necessary phone numbers.

"I gotta call you back." He said as he hung up in time to hear her cry out those words. Everyone turned to look up at him but he couldn't move. Either she was telling the guy the truth and that's how she felt or … She was lying but he knew her too well. She wouldn't lie to a captor. That would only anger them. She being a psychology major knew that and wouldn't risk it.

"I got a hit on Timothy when I cross referenced her statement of a restraining order and I got a hit!" Crummy said to distract them all as he brought up the picture of the blonde man. "Timothy Marvin Norris. He has a lot of violent offenses on his record for domestic abuse and aggravated stalking."

"And I bet Michelle didn't do a background check before their first date. By then it was too late." Elijah said as he let out a deep breath and ran a hand over his face. "Get me a last known address on him! Let's move out!" He shouted as he moved towards the elevator, the other agents, including Avery, following after him. He would be damned if that asshole cut her one more time.

"I'll send it to you!" Crummy said just as they all looked up to see Timothy move past the camera and out of the room. They heard a door shut and only then did Michelle break down in sobs with all of them watching.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She kept muttering to herself as she finally looked up at the camera, blood all over her as she muttered, "I love you, Elijah."

"Crummy! Got the address!" Raven shouted and gave him a nod as she sent it to Elijah.

Avery kept the live stream going as they were speeding down the highway to the suburbs of DC to get to this bastard.

"She's giving up…" Avery said as she heard those last words to Elijah and his knuckles went white as he gripped the steering wheel so tight, he was surprised he didn't break it.

"No she's not. She doesn't give up. That's her saying she's going to fight. And we all know what happens when she does that with someone as mentally unstable as this guy." Avery gave a nod of her head and Elijah pressed his foot to the floor to make the SUV go as fast as he possibly could.

As they pulled up outside the house, he pulled on his vest quickly before he led SWAT into the house, kicking down the door before storming inside.

"FBI!" He screamed as he moved through the different rooms, finding no trace of Timothy or Michelle anywhere. "They aren't here… Shit!"

"Wait, we will find them. There has to be a clue here somewhere." Avery said as she holstered her own weapon before rustling through some papers on a desk.

"Mundo!" A voice called from the back room, one of the rooms SWAT looked in, not him. He ran back there. "You have to see this!"

There on the wall were pictures, dozens of them, of Michelle. Some of her walking down the street, others in her house, one in her bathtub. Then the rest… were of them. Kissing, walking hand in hand, in his house, and having sex. This man had been following Michelle.

All of the ones of them together was under one word painted in red. WHORE. This was not a good sign. Especially since on closer inspection all of Elijah's faces in the pictures were scratched out with red as well.

"He doesn't want her…" Elijah muttered as realization slapped him in the face.

"What?" Avery said as she walked in and saw everything. "You're right… He wants you not her."

"What have you got?" Elijah demanded as Crummy's number called him.

"We've got a location! He was watching the house. As soon as you walked into that room, we got an IP address. Sending it to you now!" Crummy said as Elijah got a message vibrating in his ear. "It's a trap, Elijah. He wants you to go there."

"I know. And I'm going to do what he wants." He said as he hung up and walked back to the kitchen, stopping when he saw a piece of paper on the kitchen table that wasn't there before. How did this guy get in? There were only five words and he knew what he had to do.

 _Come alone,_

 _Or she dies._

As he crumpled the note up and threw it down to the floor, he walked past Avery just as she picked it up, reading it before rushing after him.

"Elijah, this is what he wants. You can't go alone. You know that." She said and when Elijah turned, she saw everything, pain, anger, torment… It was all flashing through him at once.

"I have to, Avery. I'm sorry. Have SWAT on standby a couple of blocks away. I'll have to do this alone and you know that. It's the only way I can get her back. I have to play his game."

Michelle's head jerked up to the door when Timothy walked in and she felt herself glare up at him, trying not to squint in the harsh, bright light in her eyes.

"You should be angry at yourself not me." His haughty tone only served to piss her off more. AFter he had left, she remembered she kept a nail file in her back pocket in case she ever broke a nail or if she needed to break into anywhere on a case. For the last few minutes, she had been cutting through the binds on her wrists and they finally snapped right before he walked in.

"I'm not pissed at you. I feel sorry for you." She shot at him, knowing what would happen if she kept going and not caring. "You are such a damn coward that you had to kidnap me and taunt the man I'm sleeping with? No wonder you're single." His roar of rage meant she had the desired effect. She waited until he was close enough before she brought her fist around to land right on his cheek.

She thought she would have more time but he was on her before she could even cut her feet loose. His hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed. She tried clawing at him but it was no use. His grip was relentless. It was over. She was going to die here. No more nights with Elijah, no more time with Michie. No more team. She was done. Her time was over as she felt the darkness creeping up on her as she tried to gasp for air.

Suddenly his hand left her and she coughed violently as she sagged in the chair. What was going on? THen she heard it. Shouting. And not just any shouting.

"No…" She said as she heard Elijah's voice screaming for Timothy to come get him. "Don't you touch…" Before she could finish, Timothy's fist landed in her gut, causing her to double over and gag a few times. By the time she recovered, Timothy was out of the room.

But he didn't go for Elijah. No, he went the opposite way. Something was wrong.

Elijah's gun was raised as he walked into the abandoned warehouse that held the IP address Raven had sent him. It was dark and water dripped somewhere but that wasn't what he was listening for.

"Timothy Norris! I know you're here!" He shouted as he quietly made his way through what looked like a maze. This was elaborate too, as if Norris had been planning this for a while now. "Come out and show yourself. Let's talk about this!"

Any little thing that moved, Elijah twitched in that direction with his gun but never pulled the trigger. No, he needed to find Norris so he didn't waste all his ammo.

"Oh, I don't think so. Come see if you can find me…" Norris' voice came over some loudspeakers. "See, I know Michelle's fears. All of them. Do you?"

"I know she hates clowns, spiders, and dark enclosed spaces." Elijah responded from memory as he looked around for any sort of room that could be hiding Norris.

"All correct. But do you know her WORST fear?" Norris asked with a sadistic laugh. "Let's see if you can figure it out. Come and get me, if you can."

Loud music blared over the loudspeakers as Elijah continued into the maze. It seemed he was the only one here as he finally reached the center that held a basement door that was propped open.

"You getting this?" He asked out loud as he brought a hand up to his ear. Avery was just a few blocks away able to hear everything and she said as much.

"Be careful, Elijah. We don't know what he has planned." She said from the van parked on the street as worry flooded her. They had to wait for his signal or else Michelle could end up dead.

"I'm going down into what looks like a basement. Standby." Elijah muttered as he slowly took it step by step. No boobie traps at all so that was a sign. Not necessarily a good one, however.

Michelle was desperately trying to reach the nail file that was just out of reach of her fingers. If she had gotten her feet free, this wouldn't be a problem right now. Blood oozed out of all her wounds, from the contusions on her face to the cut on her arm and chest. So much movement kept reopening them and there was a high risk of infection down here.

She was not dying down here. That wasn't going to happen. It wasn't in her cards this day. With a shout of pain, she felt her shoulder dislocate as she was able to finally reach the nail file. She was sweating from exertion and pain as she sat back up and it wasn't about to end anytime soon. With her good arm, she gripped the other shoulder and with a scream, she popped the joint back into place.

"Michelle!" She heard his voice and when she looked up, he came around the corner. She should be relieved but this was too easy. Something was off.

"Elijah watch out! He's still here somewhere." She said as she frantically tried to use the nail file to cut the ties binding her feet. Her movements, however, were too frantic and her hand slid down and she cried out as she looked to see a cut crossing the expanse of the palm of her hand while Elijah tried to break into the room.

Finally he raised his gun and she turned away as he shot the lock off the door and busted in. Pulling out a knife, he cut her binds and gathered her into his arms. Her cries were of relief as she clung to him, not caring that she was a sweaty, bloody mess. That moment was short lived as Timothy walked into the room.

"Isn't this just fitting. The bastard who can't pick a woman and the whore who keeps thinking he will somehow fall in love with her. You're wrong, Michelle. He will never love you. Not like I do." He said as he held a gun on them both. "You know what you have to do to end this, Michelle. You come with me, he lives. You don't, you both die down here."

Avery was listening and couldn't take anymore.

"Let's go!" She shouted to everyone as they all hit the gas and sped towards the warehouse. This could go very badly. But they knew Timothy was still in the building and that's all she needed.

Michelle had a choice in front of her and she knew what she had to do. She placed a hand on Elijah's arm to lower it from in front of her as she stepped forward with her other hand up.

"Okay. I'll go with you. Just please don't hurt him." She turned to look at Elijah's shocked expression and she only gave him a nod before moving to stand next to Timothy. "You win. Let's go."

"Glad you finally see things my way." He got cocky and lowered his weapon and that's when Michelle struck, grabbing his wrist and wrenching it until she heard it crack. Timothy's scream was loud as he grabbed her hair and spun her around. Her ankle got caught on the leg of the chair and twisted, causing her to scream with pain before he let her fall. It was just enough time for Elijah to take his gun back out and shoot Timothy twice in the chest.

He kicked the gun away as Timothy tried to gasp for breath, gun trained right between his eyes if the man tried anything.

"You… still don't know… her greatest fear. I win." He said with one final breath, his eyes going blank as the life left him. Once he was gone, Elijah rushed over to Michelle who was shaking from shock.

"Let's go, Michelle." He said and she gave a nod. She tried standing but her leg gave out, her ankle not able to support her. Elijah didn't care as he just swung her body bridal style in his arms and carried her out of the basement. He was walking out of the front door to the warehouse as SWAT approached, EMT's rushing forward for her. It was over. Well, this part of it was over.

Michelle's time in the hospital was short lived as she didn't want to be there. As soon as she got her cuts cleaned, some stitches to close the cut on her forehead and crutches due to her sprained ankle, she checked herself out. Though she didn't want to go home.

As she got in a cap, well hobbled in more like, she gave a familiar address and felt herself doze until she was woken up by the cab driver. She thanked the man before standing outside of Elijah's home. She found his truck in the driveway and knew he must be worried because she didn't allow any visitors when she was being cleaned up. Only because she knew she wouldn't be there long.

Once she reached his door, she knocked.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with surprise after he opened the door.

"Losing you." She blurted out as she stood there, gazing up at him. "That's my greatest fear. I don't know if that's what he was meaning but that's it. I can't lose you again, Elijah." Tears sprang up in her eyes as his arms were immediately around her, bringing into his warmth as his lips kissed the top of her head.

"You never will, Michelle. I'm right here." He muttered as his eyes closed. "I thought I was going to lose you today. I also heard what you told him." He felt her tense a bit and took a deep breath. "You were never an affair to me. That much I already told you. Truth is… You are the love of my life. I have never felt about anyone the way I do you. I want everything with you… In time."

Her eyes sparkled as she pulled back to look into his eyes before pulling his lips to hers. The kiss stung like a bitch due to her lip and he tried to pull away because of it but she wasn't having it. She could ignore the pain.

Because her happiness out measured all of the pain.


End file.
